This invention relates to surface protection equipment for boats and, more particularly, to novel apparatus and methods for shielding the keel and/or hull of a watercraft from abrasive damage and which is capable of being easily installed.
Watercraft such as, for example, pontoon boats motorboats, jet skis, wave runners, yachts, sailboats, kayaks and canoes are generally formed of a fiberglass, thin metal or composite material which can become easily damaged, dented or seriously scratched as a result of forcible impact or collision with sand, gravel, rocks or other obscure objects or debris found in water or on a shoreline. Typically, when a watercraft is beached, removed from and/or launched into water, or while the watercraft is merely moving through the water, the lowermost portion of the hull of the watercraft (generally encompassing portions of the stem, bow, forefoot, keel and stern) is particularly susceptible to abrasion or damage. Consequently, abrasive damage usually promotes corrosion and structural weakening of the hull of the watercraft in addition to being cosmetically displeasing. Furthermore, the bow of a watercraft may procure serious damage as a result of forcible contact with the shoreline, beach or docking platform where the watercraft is secured.
Traditionally, the keel and hull of a watercraft are generally formed having a substantially arcuate shape which structurally encourages the hydrodynamic flow of water across the exterior surface of the hull as the watercraft moves through the water. The hydrodynamic performance of a watercraft, however, can be sufficiently reduced as a result of serious abrasions disposed on the keel and/or hull of the watercraft. In this regard, serious damage such as, for example, deep scratches, penetration or abrasions in the exterior surface of the hull of a watercraft, typically generate substantial dragging or suction forces acting against the motion of the immersed watercraft and, more importantly, can seriously affect the overall hydrodynamic performance of the watercraft in water. Moreover, serious abrasions in the hull and/or keel of a watercraft particularly formed of relatively thin metal or fiberglass will generally necessitate the repair and/or replacement of the hull, pontoon and/or those structural features of the body of the watercraft functionally affected.
The repair and/or replacement of the hull, keel or pontoon of a watercraft is customarily costly, and typically sorely inconvenient to the owner of the watercraft. Accordingly, the capacity for protecting the keel, hull and/or bow of a watercraft from abrasive wear and tear, damage or deep scratching has encouraged significant concentration and development within the boating industry as to the various options available for protecting the hull of a watercraft and while reducing the cost of repair and maintenance of the exterior surface thereof, while substantially preserving the monetary value of the watercraft itself.
In an attempt to structurally accommodate the ability to protect at least a portion of the lowermost portion of a watercraft from structural damage caused by abrasion and deep scratching, those skilled in the art developed prior art bow protectors. A serious disadvantage associated with bow protectors of the prior art, however, is their general inability to adequately absorb impact forces, conform over the keel or hull of a particularly engineered keel or hull configuration or design of a specific make or model of watercraft.
Traditionally, prior art bow protectors are designed and manufactured as a preformed unit having a substantially rigid configuration. Moreover, the material comprising prior art bow protectors is usually only slightly deformable when disposed over the particular configuration of the bow or keel of the watercraft. In this regard, since the design and configuration of a hull of a watercraft is not universal in nature or in application with other watercraft, preformed prior art bow protectors are typically unable to provide sufficient universal conformity over the keel or hull of various sizes or shapes of watercraft. Similarly, because the manufacturing of prior art bow protectors in various shapes and sizes for different makes and models of watercraft can be economically impractical, prior art bow protectors are usually molded or preformed in conventional shapes and sizes which attempt to provide an approximate conformity over the keel or bow of the various watercraft upon installation.
Other practical disadvantages with bow protectors of the prior art have also emerged in relation to the installation of bow protectors over the keel or hull of the watercraft. For example, to properly install prior art bow protectors over a nonconforming keel or hull of a watercraft, at least two skilled installers are typically required who generally apply compression forces against the preformed body of the prior art bottom protector in order to bend or alter the shape of the bow protector to minimally conform over the keel or bow of the watercraft. In this regard, prior art bow protectors are generally installed by skilled technicians with special training in the installation process and having the necessary tools to minimize the various problems that may arise during the installation process. These and other problems with known bow protectors have generally limited their installation to professionals and thereby significantly restricting the market and availability for do-it-yourself-type installations.
In addition to the foregoing disadvantages, prior art bow protectors generally promote hydrodynamic dragging or suction forces which act against the exterior surface of the keel or hull of the watercraft. Since prior art bottom protectors are commonly secured to the exterior surface of the watercraft by means of spacer blocks and an epoxy adhesive, when prior art bow protectors are unable to be substantially conformed over the configuration of the keel or hull of the watercraft, the force of the water resistance against the keel or hull of the watercraft as it moves through the water, typically overwhelms the securing means provided by the adhesive epoxy of the bow protector. In this regard, prior art bow protectors typically become detached from the exterior surface of the watercraft and correspondingly, reduce the hydrodynamic performance of the watercraft and minimize the protection from impact.
Furthermore, bow protectors of the prior art are usually formed of a clear plastic material comprising a molecular composition which can be sufficiently degraded as a result of persistent contact with ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light typically breaks down or alters the chemical structure of the clear plastic material and generally results in the discoloration of the plastic to display a slightly yellowish tint. Moreover, long exposure to ultraviolet light can cause the clear plastic of prior art bow protectors to become separated from the surface of the watercraft as a result of the chemical breakdown of the adhesive applied to the backing of the prior art bow protector and the exterior surface of the keel or hull.
Therefore, there is a significant need for a bow protector for boats, ships, pontoon boats and watercraft generally which can be easily installed by the boat owner and does not significantly degrade the hydrodynamic performance of the watercraft while providing effective impact resistant protection to the bottom of the boat without detaching or degrading over time.